Easy Ornamental Corn Craft for Fall and Thanksgiving Decor

45 Comments / Holidays, Seasons and Celebrations, Arts, Crafts and Creations / By Stephanie

Easy Ornamental Corn Craft for Fall

📝 This post, Easy Ornamental Corn Craft for Fall, was originally published in 2012 and has been updated with new information and resources.

One day, I was reading a book with my boys when we came across an illustration of ornamental corn. It instantly reminded me of fall back home.

At the time, we were living in Australia, and one of the things I missed most was the changing seasons. I missed the crisp air, colorful leaves, pumpkin patches, and seeing ornamental corn decorating porches and front doors. It was always one of those little signs that fall had arrived.

I decided that if I could not find any ornamental corn for our house, we would make our own! With a few sponges, some paint, and paper, my boys and I created a colorful fall decoration that brought a little piece of home to us.

You may also know ornamental corn as Indian corn. I use the term ornamental corn throughout this post.

Materials Needed for Ornamental Corn

A dry sponge
Chopsticks or wooden skewers with the sharp ends removed
Hot glue
White cardstock or sturdy paper
Brown or tan paper
Acrylic or washable paint
Scissors
A paint tray or paper plate

How to Make an Ornamental Corn Craft

Prepare the Sponge Stampers

Cut a dry sponge into several small pieces about the size of corn kernels.

Warm up the hot glue gun. Once it is ready, attach one small sponge piece to the end of each chopstick or wooden skewer.

The handles make it easier for children to dip the sponges into the paint and stamp the paper without getting quite as messy.

Prepare the Paint

Add several fall paint colors to a paint tray or paper plate. We used shades of yellow, orange, red, brown, and purple.

My son helped fill the paint tray—and he was very generous with the paint!

Can you tell my son helped fill the trays? 🙂

Cut Out the Corn Cobs

Cut several corn cob shapes from white cardstock or sturdy paper. The shapes do not need to be perfect. A simple long oval that narrows slightly at the bottom works well.

Stamp the Corn Kernels

Have your child dip a sponge stamper into the paint and press it onto the paper corn cob.

Continue stamping with different colors until the paper is covered with rows of colorful kernels. Children can create a pattern or place the colors randomly.

Set the finished corn cobs aside to dry.

Make the Corn Husks

Use a larger piece of sponge to cover a sheet of paper with brown, tan, and gold paint. This paper will become the husks.

Once the paint is dry, cut the paper into husk shapes.

Start with a shape that is wider at the top and narrows toward the bottom. Cut several long slits from the top toward the narrow section, stopping before you reach the bottom.

Trim the strips so they are slightly different lengths. Then gently crumple the paper to give the husks a more natural texture.

Assemble the Ornamental Corn

Place the painted husks behind the finished corn cob and glue everything together.

You can display the corn on a bulletin board, hang it on a door, or group several pieces together to create a colorful fall decoration.

A Simple Fall Craft for Home or School

This ornamental corn craft is easy to adapt for different ages. Younger children can stamp the kernels freely, while older students can create repeating patterns or try to copy the colors they see in real ornamental corn.

It also gives children practice with: